As students go to their internships this year, some have more unique experiences than others. This year, senior Jaselyn Newbold is interning as a mortician. She is getting the opportunity to work with Dawn Fisher and continue to learn more, trying to find out if being a funeral director is her correct pathway.
What is your internship?
I am interning at Fisher’s Funeral Chapel and planning to become a funeral director. I help out with whatever they need, big or small. I only started at the beginning of August, so I am still learning. But, I will learn more as the year progresses.
How did you find this internship opportunity?
Originally, I wanted to go into CNA, but the courses were full. So, my second choice was an internship, and by word of mouth, I could learn more about this option. Then, there was a whole process of paperwork, and then I was able to qualify due to my medical class experiences.
What has this internship taught you?
I have witnessed a few embalmings and a lot of terminology. I have been to funerals. But, I never thought about the background of it all, and despite the research I did, no amount of it can teach what I have been able to learn while being there.
What made you want to go into this field?
I have always wanted to do something medical or something where I am helping people and giving back to the community. Originally, I wanted to become a teacher or a nurse because they help people, and I wanted to teach people. But, in my junior year, this topic was brought up, and I never thought about it as a career. You never really think about what goes on with the planning and everything. Eventually, I found out about the internship the school was doing.
What have been your most impactful moments through this internship?
The most impactful moment would be when I stood there dismissing people. It was my first time being in there. Watching everyone line up and stand there was so impactful; it was my first time trying not to cry. It was so real that it made me realize this is what I want to do: seeing all the hard work that went into the funeral, and that their family got one last moment and celebration of their loved one.
What are your goals as you continue through this internship?
My goals are to become fully confident that this is what I want to do as well as not becoming more comfortable with it, but feel confident in it. Right now, I’m not sure how to interact with people or how to properly be there for them. I am never really sure, and that bothers me. I hope to feel more comfortable in the space.
What are the next steps as you continue this career pathway after graduation?
If I do continue into this career, I will do two years of school at most, like Ivy Tech, to get my undergraduate. Then a year to a year and a half of a funeral school, where during that time you do an internship where you live at the funeral home. After that, you will do a national exam, and then do another internship after you have graduated, followed by a state exam. That is pretty much the process.
